H04M17/00

Wireless service provider system for selling and/or activating wireless services for a wireless device
10708742 · 2020-07-07 · ·

A method and system for the purchase and activation of services on a wireless device are provided. The method and system include the use of an airtime card with a near field communication tag with a unique identifier code used to improve a user's experience and ease of activation/provisioning of services for the wireless device. In some aspects, the unique identifier may be generated during the activation and purchase of the wireless service and it is not required that the unique identifier code be recorded in a backend system of the wireless provider prior to activation. The services to be purchased and activated may include at least one of the following: out of the box activation, device upgrades, device reactivations, wireless number changes, wireless number porting, and the addition or purchasing of services including airtime, data, and/or SMS enrollments or data content.

Feature management of a communication device

A system and method for the real-time management of a device, and more particularly to the establishment and enforcement of policies or rules associated with the feature or functions that may be performed with the device, such as making and receiving calls, exchanging data, playing games and music, sending and receiving email, accessing web sites, and paying for goods and services. If a child or employee is using the device, there may be a need to regulate how that device can be used and to determine who will pay for what goods or services. In addition to providing all of the features associated with a device, service providers need to be able to establish and enforce rules (policies) regulating how and when that device can be used and who will pay for a good or service requested by the user of the device.

Systems and methods for communication control in a restricted environment
10673865 · 2020-06-02 · ·

A method for managing wireless device communications including establishing active, persistent, and repetitive communications with a wireless device operating in a coverage area of a local wireless network. In an example, the local wireless network is and overlay to a portion of a macro wireless network. The repetitive communications include placing a call to the wireless device, completing a call connection to the wireless device, sending a message to the wireless device, receiving and processing a response to the message from the wireless device, and persistently repeating a call function of the placing a call, completing a connection, sending a response, and receiving and processing the response until a specified termination event. In an embodiment, the termination event is a power off of the wireless device.

AUTHORIZATION TOKEN INCLUDING FINE GRAIN ENTITLEMENTS

A method of interpreting an authorization token is described herein. The service can receive an authorization token from a client device, and validate a signature of the authorization token. The service can identify an allowed function value associated at least part of an entitlement representation contained in a body of the authorization token. The service can convert the allowed function value to an allowed function bitmask that includes bits at a plurality of bit positions that are set to values indicating whether the subscriber element has attributes associated with each of the plurality of bit positions on a predefined attribute list. The service can determine whether the allowed function bitmask indicates that the subscriber element has one or more qualifying attributes that entitle a user of the client device to access the service.

RECHARGING PREPAID ACCOUNTS WITHIN A TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK
20200169640 · 2020-05-28 ·

Systems and methods are described herein for recharging prepaid accounts within a telecommunications provider, such as a network carrier, using information provided by postpaid account subscribers. For example, the systems and methods facilitate the receipt of instructions from mobile devices associated with postpaid accounts. Upon receipt of the messages, the systems and methods (such as systems within a charging system of the network carrier or provider) identify intended or recipient mobile devices associated with prepaid accounts. Once identified, the systems and methods recharge the prepaid accounts, based on the instructions received from the postpaid account mobile devices.

Restoring functionality of a mobile device

A method and system of restoring a functionality of a mobile user device. A lock screen is displayed on the display of the user device. An international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) of a subscriber identity module (SIM) card presently installed in the user device is determined. The IMSI is sent to a Remote Recovery Server (RRS). A message is received from the RRS indicating whether the IMSI is authorized for the user device and whether an account of the user device is replenished at least in part. Upon determining that the IMSI is authorized for the user device and the account of the user device is replenished at least in part, at least one function that was previously restricted is restored.

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR LEAST COST ROUTING (LCR) OF INTERNATIONAL MOBILE TELEPHONE CALLS WITH AN INTEGRATED MONEY TRANSFER FACILITY

A method and system for least cost routing for mobile telephone calls between the United States and Mexico in such a way so that the call is separated into several call legs and the international portion or call leg is routed via a low-cost or no-cost route independently of the local call legs, essentially achieving an international call with local call rates. This uses a SIM card that automatically identifies any incoming or outgoing call and provides the ability to convert the call from an expensive international and/or roaming call to a local (free) call. Several slight variations are disclosed, and all embodiments have an integrated money transfer service that can be used with a very simple low-cost basic mobile phone using IVR, SMS and voice recognition, or can be accessed via the web or via a smartphone app.

PROACTIVE OVERLOAD HANDLING ON REAL-TIME SYSTEMS

A network device stores overload handling criteria for a real-time credit management system of a wireless core network. The network device monitors for overload conditions based on the overload handling criteria and determines, based on the monitoring, that a potential overload condition exists. The network device receives a first credit control request for a user device, determines a standard resource quota that is responsive to the first credit control request, and allocates an increased resource quota, over the standard resource quota, for the first credit control request. The increased resource quota is based on the potential overload condition and the overload handling criteria. The increased resource quota may prevent the system from reaching a complete overload condition, may reduce overall message traffic, and may provide time for manual or autonomous recovery from the circumstance that caused the potential overload condition.

Providing blockchain-based subscription-as-a-service management
10657225 · 2020-05-19 · ·

Providing blockchain-based subscription-as-a-service management is disclosed. In one example, a node within a customer network begins execution of a subscription-as-a-service software instance. An activation agent of the node broadcasts an activation transaction, requesting activation of the subscription-as-a-service software instance, to other nodes of the customer network. A block-issuing node within the customer network, upon receiving the activation transaction, determines whether to activate the subscription-as-a-service software instance. If so, a block-issuing agent of the block-issuing node generates a blockchain block containing the activation transaction as part of a blockchain. The blockchain block is then broadcast back to the customer network, where it is eventually received by the node executing the subscription-as-a-service software instance. Based on the blockchain block, the node enables continued execution of the subscription-as-a-service software instance. At the end of a billing period, the blockchain may be used to generate an invoice to a subscribing customer.

System, Method, and Process for Handling Wireless Service and Wireless Device Transaction and Information Requests
20200145537 · 2020-05-07 ·

A process for handling wireless service and wireless device transaction and information requests includes storing in a database wireless service information responses, wireless service transaction responses, wireless device information responses, and wireless device transaction responses. The process including receiving and analyzing a keyword, obtaining a response, based at least on the keyword, and transmitting the response.